QMI Agency

Annaleise Carr, who in 2012 became the youngest person to swim Lake Ontario, began her attempt to swim across Lake Erie Friday morning.

The 16-year-old stepped into the water in Erie, Pa., at 5:20 a.m. to begin a crossing expected to take 30 hours.

By late Friday afternoon, she remained on schedule, although her pace had slowed down slightly due to waves.

"It's been a bit choppy but nothing crazy," said Aaron Gautreau, media spokesperson for the crossing.

During the first part of the swim, conditions were nearly ideal with sunny skies and moderate winds, Gautreau said.

Carr is being accompanied by a flotilla of boats, including a doctor who reported the teenager to be in good condition.

"She's doing very well," Dr. Mark Ghesquiere said earlier Friday afternoon. "She hasn't slowed down at all. I think she's enjoying having other swimmers in the water with her."

Carr is being followed by 32 people in a fishing boat, two Zodiacs, a kayak, a power boat and two sailboats. Pace swimmers are taking turns helping her stay focused.

She is taking high-carbohydrate snack breaks every 45 minutes to keep up her strength.

No one is allowed to touch Carr for the duration of the swim. Food is delivered to her at the end of a lacrosse stick. She hydrates with liquids from a squeeze bottle that is thrown in the water beside her.

The route is 75 kilometres, longer than the 52-kilometre crossing from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., to Toronto that Carr conquered when she was 14 years old.

The record-breaking swim — she’s poised to be the first person to take this particular route — is a fundraiser to send kids with cancer to Camp Trillium in Hamilton.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted his support for Annaleise on Friday, along with a picture of him presenting her with a Distinguished Junior Member award.